the Defenders
by Violet Westwood
Summary: There is a world below the gods, but above the demigods. Children of the gods more powerful than demigods, who live as the last line of defense if all else fails on Olympus. Please review!
1. Ella

ELLA

They told me that I was an orphan, and that at the age of three years old I had lost my mother, father, and oldest sister in a terrible car crash. Of course, nobody had seen the car crash, or found the bodies. They just knew that on the night of June 17, 2003, three girls came crashing onto the doorstep of Creighton Academy for Orphans and Delinquents.

They say that the oldest girl had stumbled out of the forest, dragging a little girl, who couldn't have been more than three, and a girl not much younger than herself. The youngest, was sobbing, kept screaming about a monster. The middle girl, was wide eyed and frozen. They say she wouldn't speak to anyone for days after. She only stared straight ahead, and rocked back and forth as if she was looking somewhere else… The oldest was desperate, not scared like the others, more angry. She kept screaming at the sky. Then she started crying.

It could only be deciphered days after that the three girls had been in a severe crash. The oldest and youngest were sisters, bringing along their friend. Apparently, the storms had been so bad that lightning had struck the car, and sent it spiraling into a ditch. Six had been in the car, three had escaped alive, and unscathed. The three that had died, a mother, father, and young girl had never been found. In fact, there was no record of the crash. No car, no damage, only three terrified girls.

I was the youngest of the three girls, Amy was my remaining sister. She was nine years older than me, but she treated me more like a daughter than a sister. She was smart, too. Not your normal smart kid: straight A student, Student Government President, headed off to Yale smart. No, Amy had probably surpassed that kind of smart at birth. Amy knew every Ancient language there had ever been, plus 17 of the world's modern languages when she'd been brought to Creighton. You could give her any equation in math and she'd be able to solve it before you could even get the whole thing out. She knew every book that had ever been published, and memorized them all word, for word. It was like every piece of information, every bit of knowledge was crammed into her brain. When I was younger, I used to resent her for it. Even though I was smart, I wasn't anywhere near close to Amy smart. But I took it, and I learned to live with it.

Did I say I learned to live with it? Okay, I resented her a bit… a lot a bit… But come on, she was perfect!

Emma was Amy's best friend, she was two years younger than Amy, but the age difference didn't hold them back. Anyway, I was told Emma had practically lived with my family. Whenever I tried to ask her about it, she would just frown and sulk. Still, it always made me wonder, if they were still alive why hadn't they raised her after my parents had died?

Today though, today was _the _day. The day where after nine years of my life, living in a dorm room with 3 other girls, all my age, all not so good kids, today I was finally getting out.

Amy and Emma had already gotten out a long time ago. After 6 years in Creighton, Amy had turned eighteen and left us. She'd found a small apartment nearby, and gotten a good job as a reader for Schoolastic. The job didn't pay much, but it was a steady income, and got Amy enough for an apartment with two bedrooms. Anything else she needed, came from the money our parents had left us. Nobody seemed to ever remember them banking there, but there was a small fortune in the account under their names, so she took it.

When Emma turned seventeen, the year after Amy had gotten out, Amy had sprung her, too. Emma told me that she could leave because she was almost of a legal age, and Amy would be watching over her. Heck, they'd be living together! But I wasn't allowed to because I was 'too young, and it would be too dangerous having me live with two young girls, finding their independence'. I'd told her 'screw it, I feel mature enough', but she'd just chuckled and promised that I'd be out soon.

Twelve months later, and I can tell you that _soon_ hadn't ever been so slow.

I heard a knock on the door, "Ready, Ella?"

"Just a minute!" I shouted, lying flat on my stomach and thrusting my upper torso under the bed, to get a better look at anything I'd missed.

Clearly, I hadn't cleaned out my bed in a while, because I found a bunch of gum wrappers, scraps of paper that I had thrown out, and a bunch of socks I'd misplaced long ago.

I could hear the door slam open, "What are you doing?"

I felt the tickle in my nose before I could slide out from under the bed. I let out the loudest sneeze I'd ever had, and slammed the back of my head against the slats of my bed frame.

Letting out a string of curses, I slid out from under the bed.

"Stupid dust mites," I shouted, kicking the corner of my bed post. "Ouch!"

Being hurt, while trying to look angry makes it really hard to give someone your most intense glare. Especially if that certain person who's glaring, also happens to be jumping up and down on one foot, clutching their other foot in their hands. Which makes the person who you are trying to glare at in a most intense fashion not be able to take you seriously. Which of course makes you even angrier, and by rules stated above look even funnier.

"Stop laughing!" I whined, when my foot finally stopped throbbing.

Tears were trickling down Emma's face now, and the loud howls were still coming out of her mouth.

"S-sorry," she said through fits of giggles. The giggles, seeming increasingly funnier to her, making her laugh even harder.

"It really hurt!" I complained, flopping on my bed.

When the giggles died down, Emma jumped- more like crashed onto the bed, settling comfortably next to me.

"That was beautiful, by the way," Emma giggled, apparently the laughter had completely left her system after all.

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled, crossing my arms.

"So you almost ready to go?" Emma asked, regaining her composure. "Amy's got the car parked outside, and if we don't leave soon she'll attack us by the time we come out."

Amy was just about the most impatient person I knew. Last year, when Amy and Emma had taken me out to dinner for my birthday, Emma had gone to the bathroom while Amy was paying the tab. After 30 seconds of Emma being away, Amy had started tapping her foot, and complaining about how slow Emma was. And 'where was she? It had almost been a minute!' Of course, at the same time, no one was faster than Amy. She ran track her sophomore year, and won the long distance race in the time a normal person would have run the 100 yard dash.

Emma grinned at me, and my anger melted away. I was leaving today, I had no reason to be mad. It was finally happening.

"My stuff's over there," I pointed to the small trunk on the end of my bed. It held all my clothes, and text books.

I didn't really have much, I'd lived in an orphanage most of my life, so the only clothes I'd gotten were the ones from charity, and stuff Amy had gotten me since she'd left. The only thing of value to me was an old picture, nine years old to be exact.

It was a picture of my family, one from before everyone was dead. I didn't know much about the picture, other than the people in it. I'd found it when I was seven, and snooping through Amy's stuff. Buried at the bottom of her trunk was an old photo. There was a young toddler in the picture. The little girl had wavy blonde hair, with streaks of golden brown running through. Her eyes were a pretty grey color, not deep, serious grey, but soft, almost transparent. The next girl in the picture was much older, eleven or twelve. That girl had dark black hair and pale blue eyes. The last girl, and oldest was a young girl with pale brown hair, the way the sun was hitting it made it look almost blonde. Her eyes were a delightful blue color, the color of a brilliant blue sky, if you will. Along with them were two young adults, there was a young woman who resembled the middle daughter, and a young man who looked much like the youngest.

From the start I knew who the two younger girls were. Obviously the toddler was me, the girl looked exactly like me! Well, except for the fact that I was older now. The same went for the middle girl, she looked like a younger, less tall version of Amy. The two adults didn't trouble me either. My parents. I'd never seen them before, and every time I looked at the picture, they sent chills down my spine. I loved the fact that I looked like my dad, the very thought of it filled me with warmth. The same feeling you got when the sun hit you on a warm summer day.

No, the one who troubled me was the oldest girl. It seemed to be a family picture, but I'd never heard of having another sister. Finally I'd confronted Amy, who admitted we had a sister. A secret she had long kept, and had been planning to tell me when she thought I was ready to be told. My other sisters name had been Phoebe, and she'd been just as bright and as radiant as her name had meant. She'd been 15 when she'd died, and it had left Amy shattered and broken even more than our parents deaths had. And that was all I could get out of Amy. I'd tried to get more, but her blue eyes had turned to an almost gray color, and she looked like she was about to shut down.

"Well," Emma declared, snapping me back into reality, "we better get going."

She hopped of the bed, and dusted off her jeans. She picked up the chest filled with my things, and walked out into the hallway. She was probably going to check me out, once and for all.

A small knot formed at the pit of my stomach, as much as I'd wanted to get out, this had been my home. It wasn't a bad home, exactly. I'd had food, made friends, the normal teen stuff. Part of me would always be with this place, it was my first real home.

"Well, you coming or not? We could always leave you here, alone," Emma called.

I laughed, racing out the open world. To my new life.


	2. A She-Demon Attacks Us

Amy

We sat in a quaint little restaurant. There was some nice music playing in the background, classical. Beethoven's Fifth, maybe? I tapped my foot rapidly, it was a nervous habit I'd picked up while at Creighton's Academy.

It was quiet enough for a private conversation, but loud enough so that no one would hear what you were saying, or if you were having a scene. That would be important for tonight.

"Amy, AMY!" Ella snapped, fingers right in my face.

"Huh, what?"

"We asked you a question," Emma rolled her eyes, exchanging a look with Ella, like 'this one'.

"Sorry, my mind was busy," I blushed, turning my full attention to them.

"We wanted to know what you were ordering. We can't decide between the Chicken Enchilada, or the Calamari," Emma filled me in.

"They serve Calamari at a Mexican Restaurant?" I asked.

"Good point, Enchilada it is," Emma said, snatching the menu from my hand.

"Oh, waiter!" Ella called, beckoning the woman over here.

The poor woman looked helpless, she kept squinting at us, as if she was nearsighted. But one glance from her, and I could tell it wasn't vision problems she had. I could feel a little bit of worry tugging at my gut, but I pushed it away. That was just my nerves.

"We'll have three Enchilada's. We want the works, chicken, enchilada…" Emma said, handing the waitress our menus.

"You don't know what's in an Enchilada do you?" the waitress smirked.

"Nope, but they sound delicious, and I'm famished" Ella chimed in.

The waitress laughed, and I swear I heard a growl as she took away our menus.

"We need to talked," I whispered, leaning closer as soon as I knew the waitress was far enough away."

"About what?" Ella complained.

She was eleven, she didn't like serious conversations. Well, too bad for her, tonight the fun would be ending.

"About you. About us. All of us," Emma said, locking eyes with me.

Ella glanced back and forth at us, as if she were trying to get a good read on us.

"What about us…"

"You're not who you think you are. None of us are what we seem," I warned. I was trying to ease her in slowly, though I wasn't sure if this was even possible.

"You're my sister, she's my friend. You're going to tell me otherwise?" Ella frowned. "I have that family picture for proof."

"Your parents aren't dead!" Emma shouted, probably a little louder than she needed to.

The whole restaurant turned to stare at us. Emma grinned sheepishly, and waved awkwardly, waiting for them all to return to their business.

"What do you mean they aren't dead?" Ella's voice cracked.

"Mom and Dad are still alive… I saw them yesterday," I didn't look at her, I didn't want to see the disbelief probably on the face. And more likely, the anger.

"That's not possible, you told me they were dead!" Ella shouted.

I was starting to regret being at a restaurant.

"We had to tell you that. Had to make you believe, so you wouldn't go looking. You weren't ready. You're barely ready now," Emma said.

"You lied," I looked up, her eyes were burning. The usual soft grey was a stormy color. I watched them soften, "why?"

My voice broke, "you're special Ella. No-don't interrupt. You're special, more than you know. You aren't like others. Haven't you noticed any difference between you and the others? You're stronger, smarter, faster… You're a defender."

"A what?" Ella frowned.

"You're not just anyone's kid. You're the kid of a god, not just one god, but two. You don't have regular blood running through you. You've got Ichor, the blood of the gods," Emma tried to explain.

"The blood of the what now?" Ella's mouth gaped open. She shook her head, "Ichor… blood of the gods… Greek Gods…"

I nodded, "You're the daughter of two Greek Gods."

"Who?" She seemed to be taking this rather well. Slowly, but well.

"Apollo and Athena," I said, looking her straight in the eyes.

"Oh please," Ella scoffed. "Can we all just go back to telling the truth? It's not funny anymore."

"It's true, Ella," Emma said, sounding as calm and as soothing as the ocean.

"Athena's a maiden goddess," Ella reminded us.

I blushed, that part was always a bit awkward. "You weren't exactly born normally… You were born the way Athena herself was. Born from the mind of the goddess herself. All her children are."

"All her children, meaning she has others!"

"All the gods have children," Emma said offhand. "They just aren't as powerful as us, one god, not two."

Ella nodded, as if this was all starting to make sense to her. I knew this was a lot to take in, so I didn't mind that she had so many questions. It just bugged me that I was finding it hard to answer most of them. Knowledge was my element, is should have been easy, but I should have known, nothing's easy.

"So if we're kids of Athena and Apollo, then who's Emma?"

Emma blushed, things with her parents had always been complicated. Emma was the youngest in her family, and they weren't particularly happy about it.

"I'm Poseidon and Khoine's daughter," Emma said, fidgeting with her napkin.

"Kh- who?" Ella asked, with some of that sarcastic sass that Phoebe had possessed.

"Khoine, Greek goddess of snow. Not exactly the most useful goddess, the Greeks didn't experience much snow," Emma shrugged.

"Just one thing…" Ella mumbled, "shouldn't we be gods, not defenders?"

"Phoebe was the first born Defender, and the God's weren't happy about Athena and Apollo's relationship," Ella gave me an inquisitorial look. "So they decided to take it out on this young, new goddess, Phoebe, the lieutenant of light. Zeus, our Grandfather created a separate species, he took away some of our Godly power, not enough to make us leveled with demigods, but just enough so that we wouldn't be as powerful as the Gods. And as more of us were sired, more Defenders were born."

"So not only are we freaks in the mortal world, but we're cast off in the magical one too!" Ella groaned, burying her head in her hands.

"I wouldn't say cast off… Just different," I said hesitantly, then rushing the last part added, "but in a good way."

"So do we have powers or something?" Ella asked.

I laughed, for once I felt like I could actually answer a question in this conversation.

"Oh man, we have the best powers on earth! Our 'abilities' are related to our parents. I, am the smartest non-god alive. I know everything there is to know about everything. It's like all knowledge is stored in my brain."

Ella winced, "does it hurt?"

I laughed. When I was younger my cranium would feel like it was about to explode all the time. I became so paralyzed with the fear that my brain would explode from all the knowledge stored in it, that I'd vowed not to learn anymore… That had lasted for about two days.

"Nah, but it used too."

"Do you have any other powers?"

"Healing, I can heal any wound automatically," I smiled, this I had always thought was the coolest thing I could do. I could never really be harmed in battle, just keep fighting forever. "And once in a while I can see the future, but it's only happened a couple of times, it might have just been a small gift from the Oracle of Delphi."

Ella gaped at me, she seemed astounded that anyone could possess these powers. Although I'd never grown up in a world like her, so I would never really be able to understand the shock of knowing your world isn't what it seems.

"What about you," her eyes fixed on Emma.

"I've got my Dad's control of water, and my mom's control of ice and snow," Emma smiled, of all things that came from her parents, I think this was the one thing Emma was happy about.

"Cool!" Ella exclaimed.

I could feel a rumbling inside me, kind of like a storm cloud. Something was bothering me, and I still couldn't tell what it was.

"What about me?" Ella asked, probably hoping she could turn invisible or something.

I laughed, "you've got heightened strength, with training we could probably get you to lift 10 tons," Ella's eyes gleamed, as if she had an idea. "Don't try it yet," I warned, "train first, then we'll see. The amount of weight you can manage will increase as you train and get older. I bet you'd be able to life 40 tons by the time you're my age…"

Ella pouted, cutting me off she grumbled, "why do I only get one power?"

"You didn't let her finish, butt head," Emma replied, taking a piece of bread from the basket, and picking it to bits. "You can shape shift too, but just so you know, it doesn't last forever. 24 hours as whoever you are max, then you've got to wait to recharge."

"Recharge?"

"Shape shifting takes a lot of energy," I explained, "once you do it it'll take a while for you to have enough energy to try it again."

Ella nodded, this seemed more to her liking.

Plowing forward with our speech, Emma said, "Just because the world has evolved doesn't mean the gods have completely evolved with it. Don't get me wrong, they follow Western Civilization, but it's not like they've moved in the last millennium. They're still on Mount Olympus, and they're still having kids with mortals. Although, they do take a lot of trips to North America these days, I think they'll be moving here quite soon, actually… But that's off topic."

Ella nodded, as if really starting to grasp reality.

"You say we're more powerful than normal demigods, but if that was true, than wouldn't monsters be hunting us all the time?" Ella frowned.

"Creighton Academy for Orphans and Delinquents wasn't it's real name. It's actually called Creighton Safe House for Demigods and Other Magical Creatures. Most of the kids who go there are kids like us," I attempted to explain.

"Defenders?"

"No, kids of the gods, err more one god and one mortal. Some of them are satyrs, nymphs, and naiads. But all of them come to Creighton to live as normal a life as possible. The boundaries are protected, so no monsters can attack. Some of the demigods know why they're at Creighton, some were checked in the way you were," Emma grinned sheepishly.

Ella frowned, "why are you telling me this, now?"

"It's time to start," Emma said, leaning back on her chair, grinning.

"Start what?"

"Training. Being a Defender, it's literally in the name. We are the last defense, before the Gods fall. If all else fails, we take control. We are Zeus's last hope," I whispered, leaning closer.

"Wow, that's a lot of pressure," Ella said, still slightly hesitant towards this very idea.

Emma laughed, "Believe me, it's not a cake walk."

"Oh… Are there any more of us?" Ella asked, her questions were starting to finally wind down.

I bit my lip, this was the most complicated part. There were four of us, and I hadn't seen the last of us since Phoebe.

I opened my mouth to continue, when the waitress came back. She had this sickly sweet smile, and I was starting to take notice of her. She had long, light brown hair that was in a braid over one shoulder, and chocolate brown eyes that seemed to whisper secrets.

"Here you go," the waitresses voice was soft and gravelly.

Emma's face turned sheet white as she looked at our waitress.

"You-," she managed to stammer out.

"Yes hello, _sister_," the woman snarled with disdain.

"Who-," Emma was cut off, yet again.

"I am Lamia, Queen of Libya," her smile turned cruel, and it was as if a veil had been lifted, because I could see her true form.

She was still beautiful from the top half, still had chocolate eyes, and her hair seemed to be shifting closer to a red before my eyes. No, nothing was shockingly bad about the top half, it was the bottom that worried me.

"Lamia," I whispered, desperately trying to rack my brain for any sign of who she was. She had to be in there, everyone was in there. I just couldn't think of it.

"Need some help, remembering, Amy?" she smirked. "I can take out my eyes, I am the all mighty mother of Scylla," she stopped, paused more like it. Waiting to see if I could remember, a test.

She slithered towards me, her I could feel the gears in motion, it was just a question of how long it would take for them to click, so I stalled.

"Scylla, wow, an accomplishment," I nodded, as if pondering the very thought. "It must be hard though…"

Lamia frowned, "hard?"

I nodded, "Scylla is one of _the_ most famous monsters," I said, "Homer didn't talk much about you."

Lamia's shrill voice howled, "I am Lamia, you must know me! I was once a beautiful maiden, cursed by Hera."

And then it clicked.

Lamia had once been a beautiful girl, born the daughter of Poseidon. She had ruled Libya like a noble queen, but a fling with Zeus sent Hera's mighty wrath on her. Lamia had been forced to eat her own children, and remain forever unblinking to only see this. Later on, Hera had also turned her bottom half into a disgusting serpents tale, and as a reward for Lamia's punishment Zeus had given her the gift to take out her own eyes, and instead see another's future.

But the grief had turned her mad, and she used her serpent abilities to haunt others, and eat their children so no one would ever be happy.

"ELLA!" I shrieked, "Get back!"

Ella stood frozen, as if she couldn't move. She just kept glancing between the two of us, trying to decide if this was all really happening. Well it was, and she was about to pay for it.

I held out my hand, and immediately a small silver dagger materialized. I didn't care if the mortals saw what was happening, all that mattered was Ella. Besides, whatever happened I knew I could count on the Mist to shield us from mortal eyes. By the time we were gone, they'd probably have some crazy story about a robbery that went awry.

The table separated Lamia from me, so I did what was the most sensible thing I could. I chucked the dagger at her with lightning speed, it would have pierced her heart if she hadn't slid away seconds before. The dagger lodged itself in the wall behind her.

"Nice try, young Defender," she cackled with delight. It seemed that we were just a game to her.

I stared at the dagger, knowing full well that within seconds it would be back in my hand.

Bingo. I spun around, throwing the next knife at her, this time with better trajectory. She moved closer to me, ducking as the dagger flew past her head.

"I only want the young one, that's all," her voice was tender, and eyes pleading. Her tone was so soft and soothing I almost handed her over, but I didn't.

"Leave Ella alone," Emma growled, she quickly slid the silver ring, emblazed with the mark of Poseidon, and I watched as it turned into a sword.

"Oh, it's two on one, I see," she clucked her tongue in disapproval, "well that just isn't fair."

She hissed, and I watched as her serpents tail elongated and slithered toward Ella.

"Life isn't fair," I replied, throwing another dagger.

This time the dagger wasn't pointed at Lamia, but her tail. I watched the dagger sink into her tail, causing Lamia to let out an ear piercing shriek.

"That was NOT called for!" she exclaimed, as the bottom part of her tail shriveled and turned to dust.

"I'm sorry, we're you _not_ trying to hurt my sister?" I growled.

Lamia hissed, as I watched the tail that I'd just cut off regenerate. This time the tail was longer, and if possible more scaly. The tale moved faster now, wrapping itself around Ella, who couldn't even scream. She sat frozen.

"Amy?" She whispered, her eyes were wide with fear.

I could feel an anger boiling inside me that I hadn't had before. No one touched my sister. The dagger reappeared in my hand at will, and I watched as it speed through the air, Lamia moved to dodge it, but it hit her sleeve, she was pinned to the wall.

In one swift motion I watched as Emma sliced her sword through Lamia's torso, cutting through torso, separating it from her tail.

I was surprised how fast she crumbled to dust. Almost in an instant. All that was left of her were her eyes. As the gods liked to call it 'spoils of war'.

I turned towards Ella, who sat with a pile of dust at her feet. She stared down, awestruck.

"You okay?"


	3. My Dreams Are Weird

Emma

Ella shivered as we entered the apartment, it was a small little place with two bedrooms and a bathroom. We'd chucked Ella's stuff here right before we'd left for the restaurant to 'celebrate'. This was where she thought she'd be living. Poor Ella, in a matter of days she'd be whisked off to Greece, back to Mount Olympus. She'd be leaving everything behind, and all for a world she'd just been forced into.

"You can take the couch for tonight," I said, pointing towards the old blue couch. It had a couple bits of stuffing poking out here and there, and you could see the outline of a broken spring. Ella wrinkled her nose. "Don't worry it's more comfortable than it looks."

"Then why don't you or Amy take the couch?"

I shook my head, no way was I sleeping on that thing.

"Then how do you expect me to be sleeping on that if you won't!" Ella snapped.

"Cause you have nowhere else to sleep," Amy tossed Ella a pillow from her room, her blue eyes piercing with concern.

Ella had gone through a lot today. She'd found out about a new world, she'd been attacked by a monster, and she didn't know it yet but more was coming her way. Tomorrow she'd find out about the move… and the other person. But that was for tomorrow.

"I'm going to bed," I yawned.

"Night, night," Ella giggled.

"Sleep tight," Amy chimed in.

"DON'T LET THE BED BUGS BITE!" We chorused. I know it was cheesy but back at Creighton it had been a comfort, something to distract us from the loneliness of the night. It was a constant in a sea of misfortune.

I retreated back into my bedroom. It was the only place where I really felt safe. I'd painted the walls a nice light blue, that had some deeper tones of dark blue, it reminded me of the ocean. The only place I really felt I belonged. I flopped onto my bed, part of me couldn't wait to get back to Olympus. See my friends, even my family. But there was one person who I needed to see.

I glanced over at my bedside table where a small glass bowl held a bunch of drachma's.

I grabbed the bowl, and headed towards the bathroom, passing by Ella who just shrugged and gave me a funny look.

I turned the faucet on, and shut the door. Part of me thought I should bring Amy in, but the other part, the selfish part knew that I wouldn't.

I managed to get the water going enough, (using some force, and a little water manipulation) into a nice steady stream, perfect for an Iris message.

"Oh Iris, goddess of rainbows, let me talk to Jason…" I tossed a drachma into the stream and watched it dissolve, nothing happened, "yeah…"

I closed my eyes, "Shit. Jason, where are you when I need you?"

"Here!" I jumped back, grinning at me from a slightly fuzzy Iris message was my brother, Jason.

His shaggy, sandy blond hair was tossed casually over his eyes. A look I knew he liked it because it made him look windswept, like he'd been on the beach all day. Which, he probably had, judging from the deepness of his tan. His sea green eyes, that matched mine, glinted mischief in way that mine never would. And somehow, just seeing his face made everything okay.

"Gods, Jason you scared the shit out of me," I whispered, looking closer at the holograph, I hadn't seen my brother in weeks. Slowly I tried to take in every detail of his face, he hadn't changed, which left a reassurance in me.

Good, I knew if he hadn't changed, than my life wouldn't fall apart. Growing up Jason had taken the place of my parents, who'd basically disowned me the day I was born. He'd been the only person I knew for sure loved me, and the only person I knew for sure I loved. Jason was the one person in the world who could make me feel better.

Jason laughed, "Sorry, Emma. You know I wouldn't scare you on purpose."

I smiled, "I know."

"So how are things with Ella and Amy?"

I watched as his tanned cheeks turned slightly rosy.

"Oh come on, just say it," I groaned.

"Alright, how's Amy?" Jason laughed, his cheeks brightening even more.

"Does someone miss his girlfriend?" I teased, using my mock baby voice.

If possible Jason's cheeks went from a bright red, to a crimson state of embarrassment. I had no clue as to why, though because they'd been dating for as long as time. They'd known each other since they were babies, Jason was a year older than Amy, and they'd started going out when Amy was twelve. But in the nine years of their relationship, Jason always got embarrassed bringing it up in front of me. Which made no sense because they were the perfect couple. Jason's goofy leadership balanced out Amy's more serious exterior.

"So how is Amy?" Jason asked again, clearly wanting to know.

I frowned, I knew he was dating her but we hadn't talked much, it was like I didn't even matter. His expression softened.

Instead he asked, "how are you?"

I smiled, I didn't like attention from most people, but being alone with Jason and just talking… I craved that more than anything in the world.

"I'm okay, had a bit of a rough day."

He raised an eyebrow in concern, "oh yeah?"

I nodded, "we told Ella today." Jason nodded as if this explained it all. "She took it pretty well, I don't think she would have fully believed us though. Not unless the monster had attacked us."

I watched as Jason's fists clenched and unclenched, his brotherly instincts kicking in.

"Who?" he gritted his teeth.

"Lamia, Queen of stupidity, and bad fighting techniques," Jason laughed, his smile showing ease and happiness.

There was a knock on the door, "Emma?"

I watched as Jason's smile faltered, going from ease to longing in a moment's notice.

"What's up in there?" Amy called through the door.

"Just chatting with Jason," I frowned, I had been hoping to avoid this. Any time we had to talk would instantly be wiped out if Amy go ahold of him. I loved Amy, she was like a sister, and literally my best friend in the entire world but Jason… Well he was just Jason.

"Oh, tell him I love him," Amy said.

I felt my stomach clench up, I could tell she wanted to talk to him, but wouldn't dare intrude on us. She was too nice, and by not opening the door I was too mean. I sighed, and swung the door open.

Amy still hadn't changed out of her clothes, she wore a black long sleeve, cable-knit sweater and a casual pair of blue jeans. She was standing awkwardly, with both hands in her pockets, slightly slumped over, accentuating her thin, wiry frame. She looked worn out, her blue eyes dim, and the bags under her eyes clearly showed she hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in months. She smiled hesitantly, and at first I thought she was looking at me, I was mistaken. If you followed her gaze, you could see it was clearly settled on my brother. And if you looked at him, his eyes were taking her in like he'd never seen a pretty girl before.

"Hey," she whispered, I took this as my cue to leave.

Slowly slipping out, I placed another golden drachma in her hand, and took the rest of the bowl with me. They couldn't talk forever, and not on my money. As I left, I took one last look at them. Jason looked happier than I'd ever seen him.

With me, he had this ease, and this protective brotherly quality. But one look from when he was with Amy and you could just tell he loved her. He just lit up, he was laughing now. His eyes were sparkling, and he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Amy was the same way, she looked happier and less tired, more free. The bags were starting to disappear, and the lively Amy that I knew was shining radiantly through.

"I missed you," Jason whispered, I left them alone after that.

As I lay down on my bed I could feel a nudging sense poking at me, asking me if Jason loved Amy more than me. I knew it was a different kind of love, but still, I'd always been his favorite girl. And as selfish and unreasonable as it sounded, I didn't want that to change.

I clapped my hands, and watched as the lights dimmed. There was an almost moonlike quality glistening off my walls now, imitating the way light rippled across the ocean at midnight. I could almost hear the waves crashing against the sand, and feeling right at home, I crashed into a deep sleep.

I'm pretty sure that if you're a mortal, and not a freak, you have regular dreams. The kind where you get to kiss the guy you like, or if it's scary, someone's chasing you and you can't run.

Those are just dreams, and they vanish the moment you wake up. For anyone magical dreaming is more hellish than being awake. First of all, you have no control over what you see, especially if you're a child of Poseidon, who's dreams are as uncontrollable as the sea. And it's not like you can escape from them when you wake up, because whatever you're running from in your dream, you're most likely running from in real life too.

Tonight's dream was different, I couldn't see at all. It was pitch black, but I could still hear.

"Hello," the voice whispered, just hearing it gave me a pounding headache.

"Uh… hi?"

"You must be Emma, pleased to make your acquaintance," the voice was raspy, and guttural. Very male.

"Who are you?" I shouted, as if whatever it was wouldn't be able to hear me otherwise.

"Be patient, little one. Your time will come soon, for now I need you to leave."

Immediately I felt a surge of urgency to get out of this dream, wake up now.

"My time?" I said, instead.

"Yes, your time. Now I repeat, leave. I was looking for someone else, I was wrong to summon you here."

"You summoned me?" Usually I eavesdropped on people, they didn't ask me to come into a dream state and talk to them. Especially not people who said things like 'your time'.

I wondered if I was talking to a god. But then again, there would probably be more light. After all, I knew most of them, and they didn't _all _hate me. And even the ones that did, they would be more forward. At least tell me who they were.

"Good bye, Emma," the voice whispered.

I woke up, and my head was pounding. Apparently that didn't stop in the dream.

I slipped out of bed, and headed towards the living room where Ella was snuggled up on the couch watching Saturday morning cartoons.

"Sponge Bob, really?"

Ella gave me her best Sponge Bob laugh, and then in a more Squidward voice, replied, "yes, there is nothing on, you dimwit."

"Hey!" I protested, whacking her playfully over the head.

She giggled, then let out a tired sigh.

"So was last night all a dream?" She asked.

I flinched, for a moment mistaking it for my dream. My headache thumping even harder, if that was possible. I could feel a knot form in the pit of my stomach.

"Yeah, last night was real, monster and all."

She nodded, looking slightly crestfallen. I think she wanted it to be fake, so that she wouldn't have to deal with the consequences. So she could keep living a normal life. Too late, life would never be normal again.

"Why were you and Amy in the bathroom last night?" Ella frowned, I guess she had remembered me taking the golden drachma's to the bathroom.

"Iris messaging my brother," I shrugged.

Ella knew my brother… sort of. She'd met him a couple of times, and seemed to really like him.

"Iris messaging?" she crossed her arms, clearly she didn't not like being in this new world.

"It's where you use water and light to create a 'rainbow' and toss a drachma in it, and get the goddess Iris, to send someone an Iris Message so you can have a conversation."

"So like a really weird cell phone…" Sure, put it in mortal terms, it'll make it so much easier adjusting to being a defender.

"No, nothing like a phone."

Ella rolled her eyes, and pushed a strand of messy blond hair from her eyes.

"I barely understand the mortal world and now I've got to learn all over again," she mumbled, with a murderous intonation.

"Morning!" Amy smiled.

The fact that a person could be up and dressed at nine in the morning on the weekend seemed impossible to me. But there was Amy, a living breathing example of it. She looked more refreshed, probably talking to Jason all night had refreshed her energy. Too bad I hadn't talked to him long enough for him to refresh mine.

"Where are your pajamas?" Ella asked, gesturing at the fact that she was fully ready to start the day.

"I think the question should be 'why am I not dressed, Amy. I have a big day ahead of me.'" Amy smirked, I swear she thought she knew everything. Which was true, but still…

"So when is our special guest arriving?" I asked, raising an eyebrow to Amy.

"Soon, so put your damn clothes on!" She pestered, I think she lived to pester me.

"Who's the 'special guest'?" Ella asked, eagerly.

"Shhh…" Amy rolled her eyes at Ella, who scowled.

"Both of you get dressed, now."

I sighed, and rose from my place on the couch.

Ella followed my lead, and while she headed to the bathroom, I headed to my room.

I pulled out a blue tank top and some jeans, and paired it with a warm, white cardigan. Last night had been unusually cold for summer in New York. But it was spring, and the days changed rapidly as ever, last night had been cold, today was summer weather.

I walked over to the mirror, and examined my outfit. It was okay, she would still judge me for whatever I wore, so it wasn't exactly as if it mattered. But still, I wanted to look presentable.

I stared at myself in the mirror, making sure that there was less for her to pick over.

My makeup was fine, I didn't wear much of it. Just some mascara, eyeliner, blush, and lipstick. I didn't look ghastly or anything, I mean at worst, my blush was too pink for my skin. But I tanned easily, so it was hard to find a blush that really complemented my skin, and toned down my tan.

My hair was the only thing that ever bothered me. It was a good color, chestnut brown, with streaks of auburn running through the whole thing. But it was still too short for my liking, falling just past my shoulders. Last year I'd thought I looked good in a bob, I now realized it had been the biggest mistake ever.

I ended up just pulling my hair back in a ponytail, like always. I was boring and routine. I trudged out of my room, where I could already hear voices.

"Emma!"

**Authors Note: Sorry this chapter was boring, it's kind of a set up chapter to get you introduced to more characters. ALSO, PLEASE REVIEW!**


	4. I Watch My Half Sister Die Again

**AUTHORS NOTE: I know it's a little boring at the beginning, but keep reading, because I promise the chapter gets really interesting. Also, please review!**

Adrian

I sighed, they'd all gotten so pretty!

The last time I had seen Amy was when I was eleven and she was twelve, it was definitely a tense situation. She used to look all awkward, like she hadn't grown into herself. But now, she just looked more comfortable and vibrant, more mature.

She had better sense of style now, too. I had taken notice of it immediately, she was wearing a pale grey dress with white stripes going through, that belted at the waist pleated just above the knees. The dress showed off her skinny, but athletic frame. Her makeup didn't look like a crapshoot, either. She'd applied her mascara on well, so well that you almost didn't notice she had smudged it slightly on the eyelid. But only someone as anal as I was, would notice, or care about something like that. Her blush was rosy, trying to bring some color into her milky white skin. She wore a deep red lipstick, another attempt for some color. But it definitely helped the look. Her hair was set loose around her shoulders, letting the soft waves look as natural as possible.

Amy smiled at me, her blue eyes lighting up, "Adrian! How are you?"

"I'm good, got a new hair color," I smiled.

My whole life I'd lived as a blonde. Which, don't get me wrong, wasn't a bad color, but it didn't suit me.

"Wow, that's a very… deep red," Amy searched for the words.

I grinned, "I just feel so much better now that it isn't so blonde and beachy! I look much better with maroon."

"It suits you," Amy decided.

I pushed her aside, and beamed and the young girl standing in front of me. She was all grown up now! Ella. She really was as beautiful as Amy had said she was. She had that golden blonde hair that I'd been desperate to get rid of, and startling grey eyes that reminded me of her mother. She really was a child of Athena.

"Hi, Ella," I said, sticking my hand out eagerly for her to shake.

She looked at it with distaste, which I didn't mind. I knew I had a strong personality. Too bubbly for some people's liking, but they usually got over it. I just got so excited to meet new people.

"Hey…" she looked around awkwardly, searching for my name as if she would find it in the air somewhere.

"I'm Adrian," I supplied her with my name so it wouldn't get more awkward than it was already shaping up to be.

"Adrian… like a guy?"

"Do I look like guy?" I could hear the tinge of annoyance in my voice.

Obviously I wasn't a guy.

"No, but your name's a guy's name."

Too late to try to down the awkward.

"It was Dad's idea. He wanted a boy, but he got me. He insisted," I rolled my eyes. I hated my name too, but I didn't really have a name that suited me better. And it wasn't like I could go by a middle name, my middle name was Iantha. It's a Greek flower.

"Jeez, whose your dad?" Ella snorted.

That question bugged me, and even though I knew it wasn't a good idea, and even though I knew she was much younger than I was and I should probably take that into consideration, it came out anyway.

"Hey, _sis_," my eyes narrowed, and I could feel a cold smirk crawling across my face. I know, I know, immature and petty. Amy would probably lecture me on it later, but I couldn't help myself! She'd had it coming.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you're telling me your Dad is Apollo and your mom is Athena?" She frowned.

"Only the Apollo part," I corrected her.

"Oh, that makes more sense," Ella nodded.

I could feel my eyes narrowing into little slits of green, "what do you mean by that?"

"Just that it wouldn't make sense for someone like you to have such an intelligent mo-," Amy clapped her hand over Ella's mouth before she could finish the sentence, but I knew what she would have said.

I could feel the heat welling up inside me, and underneath that the pain. Had I said something to her that made her hate me automatically? Had I done something wrong?

"Oh, and a little bi-," Amy slapped her free hand over my mouth, which was gross because it was kind of clammy.

So I did the only sensible thing to get her off, I licked her.

"EW!" she shrieked, immediately pulling back her hands from both our mouths. "You are both gross."

Ella grinned sheepishly, sticking her tongue out. Though I couldn't tell if that was directed towards me or to Amy. Probably the latter.

I heard footsteps pad down the hall, and Emma emerged.

She too, had changed. Her auburn hair had gotten darker, so that it was more of a brown with auburn streaks, instead of an auburn with brown streaks. Her skin was tanner, and if possible her eyes were looking more green by the second. She was dressed in a casual blue, and she had a little bit of makeup on. I don't know why this surprised me the way it did, but somehow I imagined her being makeup less for the rest of her life.

Guess I was wrong.

"Emma!" I squealed, pulling her into a giant bear hug before she could object.

Emma's body was rigid, and awkward as if she'd never hugged a person before. And even worse, when I'd pulled back she had this tight smile.

"Um what's wrong?"

Amy's blue eyes dimmed and shot Emma a look that said 'not now, okay?'. Emma frowned and crossed her arms. This reunion was not going as I'd planned. See, I'd thought we'd share some hugs, maybe tell a couple exciting stories, and then set out. Instead I'd been greeted by a wave of icy stares.

"Nothing's wrong," Amy's voice was sharp.

"Yeah, right. She abandoned us!" Emma shouted, I could feel a pang of that coldness piercing me.

"I didn't abandon you," even then my voice wavered and cracked, giving the illusion that I wasn't telling the truth.

"See, she can't even pretend she didn't leave," Emma shot me a long of pure hatred, then turned towards Amy who looked hurt, then to Ella who was just lost.

Immediately Ella sided with Emma, which I got because she didn't know me. But it still hurt. My only chance was Amy.

"I didn't mean to leave," I whispered, my eyes pleading.

Amy held my sad stare, with a cold gaze of her own. Her expression was emotionless, and all I could see were the gears turning in her head. As if she were debating with herself. I knew what she would do next.

She stalled, "can we just please talk about what's happening next? We've got to get going soon?"

"Where are we going?" Ella asked, popping up beside Amy.

Amy smiled at Ella and pulled her close, so that Ella fit perfectly into the curves of her body.

"Somewhere we can start over," she smiled, and brushed a piece of jet black hair behind her ear.

Ella scowled, "why is it that whenever I ask a question you give me a vague answer?"

"We're going to the Temple in Greece," Emma replied.

Ella rolled her eyes, "what temple? There have got to be a million temples and shrines around Greece!"

"It's not temple as in nonspecific, it's _the _Temple," Amy folded her arms, as Ella scampered away from her.

I watched as Ella flopped onto the worn couch, it must have been more comfortable than it looked.

"Okay, well than why that coming with us?" Ella narrowed her eyes and sneered, obviously taking cues from Emma.

"Because whether you like it or not," Amy seemed to be talking to us all now, "we are all Defenders. Which also means that we all have to train together. And we all need to get along. So I suggest we get all our problems with each other out in the air before we start."

Emma groaned, and flopped on the couch next to Ella. I watched as Amy perched on the arm of the sofa, while I just stood kind of awkwardly, not knowing what to do. It was like three on one.

Emma started first, "she left us."

I sighed, "I didn't leave you."

"Then where have you been, after Phoebe died," there was an awkward pause of silence, and all heads turned to Amy, who didn't seem to be listening, "anyway, after she died you just left. You didn't call, leave notice. You were just gone. She was your sister." There was a sharp accusatory tone in Emma's voice.

"I was off looking for something," I mumbled.

"For almost nine years!" This time it was Amy who was doing the shouting. Her eyes were the color of a storm, "I almost fell apart, and I didn't even have my own sister to lean on."

I could feel it coming on, but it was like the filter in my brain was off duty, "since when were we sisters?"

Amy looked stung, "since always."

"Really, because it didn't seem that way when we were younger. You and Phoebe always looking down at me, as if it was bad enough that I knew I was a mistake! I didn't need the two of you looking down on me as well," Amy looked at me awestruck, as if to say, 'I didn't do it!' But she had, even if she hadn't realized it. "It still doesn't feel like we're sisters, it's like you're still of in your own little world, and I'm in mine. When are you going to let me in?"

Amy wouldn't meet my eye, "no one thinks you're a mistake."

"Aphrodite sure does, she kept me at arm's length the whole time she was 'raising me', and Apollo? Apollo won't even look at me, too disgusted with his own mistake. He'd rather ogle at his perfect family all day," I glared at Amy and Ella.

Amy whispered something barely audible.

"What did you say?" I practically shouted.

"I SAID WE'RE NOT PERFECT!" the echoes bounced off the walls, intensifying the hatred.

"Say's the prodigy daughter. You are literally perfect. You're smart, you're gorgeous, and you're our Master!"

"The who now-?" Ella frowned, looking at Emma and Amy helplessly.

"She's the leader," Emma whispered, her cold eyes never leaving me.

"Oh please, I'll never be pretty like you, all I've got are my brains!" Amy screeched.

"You're looks are genuine, mine are artificial, they're an illusion because my mother is the GODESS OF LOVE AND BEAUTY! And what does beauty matter when you've got brains. I would give anything to be you, to be in a loving ho-," Emma stopped me right there.

"You know nothing of being an outcast," Emma spat. "You're mom at least was descent to you, my father paid no attention to me, and my mother was as cold as the snow she controlled. I was raised by Jason, who I watched get all the love from my mother and father, while I sat in the corner where I had to sit, silent. I didn't have a family until Phoebe and Amy took me in."

Emma's eyes started to tear up, but she wiped them away quickly, trying desperately not to show weakness.

"Look, I'm sorry you had a hard time, but it doesn't mean you're the only one. And at least you had a home after you met Phoebe and Amy. While the three of you bonded, I was forced to watch while Phoebe kept me at arm's length, treating me the way everyone else had. And then, as if it wasn't enough, I watched the two of you follow suit. And now, you've even turned my little sister, who I've just freaking met, against me!"

"Hey, that was my decision, and mine alone," Ella protested.

"Look, can we all just start over?" Amy pleaded.

"Only if she explains herself," Emma glared.

"I was looking for something," I stared at my shoe, not really willing to talk about this.

"What?" for once, Amy's voice was gentle.

"I thought it would be a peace offering, so I'd finally be accepted. But I couldn't find her, I'm sorry."

"Her?" Emma pursed her lips.

"Phoebe, I thought I would be able to track her down. Get her to come back, but when I asked Hades, he said her soul had been destroyed when she'd given herself up. He'd never been able to find her. I'd scoured the underworld, and then I went back up to earth, but she's gone."

"No!" Amy's voice was hollow, and she covered her hands over her ears. "She's not gone, she's not gone."

"Amy?" Ella's eyes widened, and she stared at her sister as if she'd never seen her panic.

Emma glared at me, "you should have known she would do this."

"She wanted the story," I pleaded.

"Amy?" Ella's voice was tentative, tears were springing to her eyes. "What did you guys mean by sacrifice?

Amy raised her head and her eyes glowed green. She wasn't herself. She opened her mouth, and the world started swirling.

When I opened my eyes, it I was staring at myself, only I was nine years younger.

"Whoa, where are we?" Ella asked.

My eyes adjusted, and I realized it wasn't just a younger version of me I was staring at. I was staring at Amy, Emma, and Phoebe too.

Emma had on a sea green shirt that matched her eyes, and acid washed jeans, she was probably nine or ten. Her hair was pulled back into an intricate bride that went all the way down her back. Amy on the other hand was wearing a black, silk dress with small pink roses on it. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun, it was the last time I would be seeing her. Then, there was Phoebe, her hair had been gradually getting lighter this summer. She'd gone from being a dark brunette to an almost sandy brown color. I could see streaks of blond highlights coming in. Phoebe was wearing faded purple t-shirt, leggings, and a jean jacket. In her arms she was holding a tiny toddler. Lastly, there was me. I was wearing a hot pink dress that accentuated my emerald eyes, and my blond bangs had been pulled back so you could get the full look at my face. I was smiling at something Phoebe had just said to me.

Little did I know, I should have savored the moment.

"Where are we?" Ella asked.

Emma was frozen in place, her eyes fixated on herself, whereas Amy stared at Phoebe, her eyes glazing over.

"We're in Amy's memory" I explained.

"How is that even possible?"

I shrugged, I wasn't even entirely sure. But sometimes it just happened.

"Well why are we here, then?" Ella asked.

"This is the night our sister died," I said, clenching my fists so that my fingers dug into my skin.

Ella looked at the small baby Phoebe was holding.

"That's me, isn't it?" she whispered.

Suddenly Amy appeared next to me, "yeah, you were cute."

Ella smiled at the little girl, snuggled in her sisters arms.

"We must have been a really close family, huh."

Amy nodded, smiling one of the widest smiles I'd ever seen her give.

"Yeah, we were extremely close," I could feel a pit form in my stomach, like it was slowly dragging me down.

"Sshh," Emma warned, "we're supposed to be observing them.

Amy nodded, and gestured for us to be quiet.

"Happy fifteenth birthday, Phoebe!" young Emma squealed, giving her friend a ginormous bear hug.

"Aw, thanks Squirt," young Emma giggled, as Phoebe used her free arm to pat Emma on the head.

"I'll take Ella," younger Amy said, holding out her arms, ready to receive her sister.

I glanced over at Ella, who smiled as she watched a younger version of her older sister handling her with care.

Toddler Ella howled as Phoebe released Ella into Amy's arms, and we watched as Amy panicked.

"Take her back, Phoebe! I'm sorry, Ella!" Amy shrieked.

That's right, I'd forgotten how scared Amy had been with kids.

"That's alright, Amy. You're doing just great with Ella, just great," Phoebe said in the most soothing voice you'd ever heard. It was her charm speak.

I watched as Amy's face went slack, and she hugged Ella a little tighter.

"Adrian, stop it!" Emma shrieked.

I turned, and watched as the younger version of myself attempted to fix a strand of hair that had fallen out of place.

"Just hold still," I'd chided, reaching out for Emma's hair again.

Real life Emma grumbled, "I wasn't your doll."

I rolled my eyes, and stuck my tongue out at her. I guess we hadn't matured much.

"Adrian, stop it," Phoebe scolded, I watched as my hand immediately went down to my sides.

"Phoebe, be quiet," I snapped, and watched as Phoebe's mouth zipped shut.

Young Emma glared at me, "hey, stop it! Charm speaking isn't nice."

"But she did it to me first!" Both Adrian's exclaimed.

All eyes turned to me, and I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks.

"Use it, don't abuse it," Emma sniffed, holding her head high, and turning away from me.

"Can't we all just get along, for once," even at a young age, Amy had looked tired and weary.

"Fine," I huffed, releasing the hold on Phoebe.

Phoebe opened her mouth, and sent a telekinetic wave of tickling at me, I shrieked, giggling as invisible hands had tickled me.

"Stop, stop!" I'd giggled.

"Truce?" Phoebe said, holding out her hand.

"Truce," I nodded, shaking on it.

We all watched as Phoebe's face went sheet white.

"No," Amy moaned, watching once again as her sister slumped to the floor.

"PHOEBE!" young Amy shrieked, shoving Ella into my arms and catching her older sister, before she fell and seriously injured herself.

Ella let out a howl, and started to wail.

"Not now, Ella," I'd whispered, patting her soothingly on the back.

"What's wrong with her," Emma asked, kneeling next to Amy, and inspecting Phoebe.

All of a sudden, Phoebe started to quiver, and those quivers turned into violent shakes. All at once, as if it was too much for Phoebe's body to handle, she opened her eyes, and let out a blood curdling shriek.

In a flash of light, I watched as a flaming red demon shot out from under us, and landed next to her.

He seemed to whisper something in her ear, and Phoebe nodded.

Future Amy started crying loud howls, matching the sounds past Ella was making.

"Phoebe?" past Emma cried, real Emma was crying now, too.

"Phoebe, stop this!" a younger version of Amy shouted. "Dad, do something!" she shouted, screaming at the skies.

I watched as Amy drew her sword, charging at the demon, but one minute he was there, the next he had appeared somewhere else.

He was whispering something barely audible, but it seemed as if only Phoebe could hear. She let out another shriek.

As if in slow motion, I watched as I drew out my staff. It was an elongated golden staff, with pictures of the sun covering it.

I watched as young Adrian slammed it down, sending the earth below us shaking. A younger Amy fell to her knee's, her sword skittering past her. The demon cackled, a deep resonating tone coming from within.

"Phoebe," Amy whispered, watching as Phoebe's eyes lit up like the sun.

Steam was curling from her skin, and her body was shriveling up, as if all the moisture from it had been sucked out. As she got smaller and smaller, I watched as the light burned brighter. It got so bad that I had to look away.

All I could hear were the loud wrenching sobs from both Amy's, and the small sniffles from older Emma.

"Phoebe, what's wrong?" Emma whispered, as the light dimmed, her eyes now starting to go blank.

"Amy, Adrian, come here," she gasped, beckoning us towards her.

I watches as Amy and I crawled towards her, Ella kicking in Emma's arms.

"That demon," Phoebe heaved, as if breathing was too hard for her to handle, "his name is Kreithon, and he's one of the most powerful monsters you will ever meet. Kreithon has been talking to me this summer, we've been negotiating. He said if I sacrificed myself then I could buy you some time. You must train hard, you've got to defeat him. I've bought you enough time to fend him off, but it's up to you to use that time. Use it wisely, I love you guys," with that the light was gone from Phoebe's eyes, and it was as if the whole world had gone dark.

Young Amy shrieked, pawing at her sister, whose body was turning transparent. Then, in an instant she was gone.

There was another glowing light, but we didn't stick around to see it. The world started swirling again, and I was in a sea of darkness.

**AUTHORS NOTE: PLEASE REVIEW, it would be highly appreciated!**


	5. Olympus Hates Us

Ella

The world was still spinning, and all I could hear were loud, gasping sobs. I think it was a mixture of Amy and Emma, but I couldn't be sure. I squeezed my eyes shut tighter and tried to process what I'd just seen.

I think I had just watched my sister die before my eyes and if all this was true, if this world really did exist, then that meant I was in danger. I think I understood why I'd be starting training soon. But I didn't like it, it was all happening at the speed of light.

I glanced over at Amy, the sobs had stopped and she was carefully wiping tears from her face. On my other side Emma's head was buried in her hands, and I was pretty sure she wouldn't be coming outside any time soon. My eyes settled on Adrian, she sat there, with this blank expression on her face, and all I wanted to do was yell at her. Couldn't she at least have the decency to look upset?

"Phoebe… she was the glue," I whispered.

"Speak up," Adrian commanded, her voice was hoarse.

"I said, PHOEBE WAS THE GLUE!"

"I asked you to speak up, not shout my ear off," Adrian shot a dirty glare at me, and folded her arms.

"STOP IT!" Amy shrieked. "I showed you that because Ella's right."

"I am?" I coughed, trying to hide the shock in my voice. Then in a deeper, more confident voice I said, "I am."

I nodded my head awkwardly and squirmed.

"Yes, you are," Amy smiled warmly at me, "Phoebe acted as the glue back then. It was one of the things she was great at as Master… But I'm supposed to be the leader now, so I guess it's my job to keep us together and in check. Which means all this petty crap needs to resolve itself."

There was an awkward silence, and I could feel the tense energy in the room. I glanced up and Emma and Adrian were shooting daggers at each other.

"I'll start first," Amy said clearing her throat. "Adrian, I am really sorry for getting mad at you over leaving us. It happened a long time ago, you were trying to do something nice for me, and it's the past. We live in the now. And for now, I forgive you."

No one else volunteered.

"How about you, Emma," Amy pushed.

Emma rolled her eyes at Amy but nevertheless, did as she was told.

"I'm sorry, Adrian, for being mad at you for totally valid reasons." Amy raised an eyebrow at Emma. "Okay, okay, sorry. I'm leaving all that in the past, like Amy said this is now, blah blah, friends again."

Emma scowled, but I could see a hint of smile shine through. I think she was slightly relieved to have that grudge and tension out of her system. Normally Emma was the most cool and collected calm person I knew, I have to admit, seeing her angry with Adrian had been kind of unsettling.

"I'm sorry," Adrian started. "I'm sorry I left without a warning, I'm sorry we started out so badly today. But most of all, I'm sorry for being a bad sister, I promise I'll try harder. I hope we all will."

I wanted to gag, this was just about the sappiest thing I'd ever heard. But what could you expect when her mother was the Queen of Sap and icky Valentine's Day Cards. Instead I forced a smile, and pretended everything was okay.

"I'm sorry too, for being a pain," I said begrudgingly.

"Now let's hug it out," Adrian prompted, engulfing us in a group hug.

I wasn't one for hug moments, but looking over at Amy and Emma and I could see I was having a much easier time with all this. Emma's nose was wrinkled, and she was frowning at the arms around her. She wasn't very touchy feely. And Amy, man Amy looked more uncomfortable than Achilles when he'd been shot in his Achilles tendon. Amy didn't do hugs, or signs of affection. You knew she loved you when she patted you on the head, or shot you a smile. Getting a genuine hug out of her meant you were either her boyfriend, or that she was in a state of utter bliss.

Adrian finally released us, and then clapped her hands excitedly, "Let's go!"

How, I wouldn't be able to answer, but objects started flying around the house, and packed themselves in bags. I watched my favorite pair of jeans and t-shirt being folded neatly into a suitcase. When the suitcase was full, it danced over to the door, and waited patiently. If you looked close enough, you could see quick feathers flitting about, a hand here, a harpy there.

When the packing was done, Adrian flopped onto the couch, her choppy red hair flying in all directions, acting as if she herself, had even lifted a finger.

"Well wasn't that just tiresome," she giggled.

I rolled my eyes, "you did nothing."

"Yes but doesn't just watching the little harpies fly about take the breath out of you," she feigned a feinting motion, and then shot up giggling. I opened my mouth, a sharp, biting comment on the tip of my tongue.

"Close your mouth, Amy said no fighting, remember," her voice was sickly sweet, and my mouth snapped shut.

It was like my jaw was locked, any attempt I made to open or close it wouldn't work. And yes, I even tried prying my mouth open with my bare hands. No, it does not work.

"Release," she declared, her dazzling green eyes softened, and she smiled at me warmly.

"H-h-" I stammered.

"How did I do that?" Adrian asked, filling in my sentence. "Oh, that's easy. It's called charmspeak. It's one of my gifts. I can make anyone or anything do what I want if I tell them to."

"Wow," I said, awestruck. For once, she seemed cool. I'll admit, that power would definitely come in handy. "How does it work in a fight?"

Adrian rolled her eyes, and muttered something in Ancient Greek. "It hardly ever does, you have to have someone's attention and lots of focus to successfully charmspeak, and when you're in a fight with a monster ten times bigger than you, and twenty times faster, it's hard to stop them from killing you, and instead get them to talk to you." She glowered.

"What else you got?" I asked.

"I can manipulate light. I can make it brighter, completely dark. Sometimes, I can literally travel by light. But it really only comes in handy when the light generates enough heat to turn into fire. Imagine going into battle engulfed in flames, and not even feeling a thing!" her green eyes sparkled and danced, specks of gold glinting like the sun.

I frowned, "shouldn't I be able to control light? Your mom is the Goddess of Love and Beauty, so along with charmspeak, logically you should also be able to shape shift. But that's not true, I can shape shift, and you can control light…"

Adrian shrugged, "magic works in weird ways, Ella. I wouldn't take it too seriously, though. No one really knows how we get our powers. We're like test runs, we're the first generation of defenders."

And for once I didn't hate Adrian, she was actually pretty okay when she wasn't acting all fake and giggly.

"I am so in the mood for chocolate!" she squealed, and the bubbliness was back.

"Alright, let's get going! We've got a long flight ahead of us," Amy declared, appearing from nowhere.

"We're flying?" Emma gulped, her face turning a sickly green shade, almost matching her eyes. "Can't we just take a boat or something?"

I could feel my stomach rumbling, and Amy and Adrian were looking a little green as well.

"Apollo kids don't do well in water," Amy said holding back a gag.

"Yeah, well Poseidon kids don't do well in the air!" Emma protested.

"Three against one," Adrian shrugged, daintily picking up a single pink suitcase.

"This is not fair," Emma grumbled, slinging a carry-on bag onto her shoulder, and grabbing two blue suitcases.

"Life isn't fair," Amy retorted, slinging a grey duffel bag onto her shoulder, and grabbing a silver suitcase in her free hand. "Take one last look at home, Emma, we won't be back here ever again," Amy sighed sadly.

I glanced around the apartment. The first thing I noticed was the red stain on the white walls from when Amy and I had had a fight last year and I'd thrown my plate of spaghetti across the room. My eyes fell next on the faint scratch marks on the coat closet door. If you squinted closely, you could see the words 'Ella's height gain' scratched into the wood. For the span of the two years we'd been here, they'd recorded a numerous amount of heights. Though I had to admit, I'd had massive growth spurts. In the past two years, I'd grown six and a half inches. I was five three now. Finally my eyes settled on the couch. The blanket's I'd used last night were casually strewn, and I could see bits and pieces of couch falling apart. But I could also see three girls laughing on the couch. Amy and Emma on either side of me as we watched reruns of Gilmore Girls, and laughed as Rachel and Ross fought over whether or not they had actually been on a break.

"I'll miss this place," Emma said longingly, "but I'm glad to be going back home. It'll be nice to live closer to Jason."

Amy blushed, and nodded her head.

"Yeah, it will," she whispered.

Adrian flung open the door, and taking long strides, clicked her heals down the hall. Emma left next, slumping her shoulders slightly, and bobbing her head like a dork to nonexistent music.

"You'll like it at the Temple," Amy assured me. "They've remodeled it in the past nine years we've left, it looks amazing. And I promise we'll each get a fair chance at the rooms we want."

She was so calm and level-headed, like she was sure of everything in her life. I wish I could be that sure of something.

"Are you sure?" I asked, biting my lip.

She nodded, leaving the room. Tossing a small gold key behind her.

"Lock up, will you?"

I stepped out of the threshold, into this new world I'd be entering, leaving behind all that was comfortable. I glanced one last time around the room, the spaghetti stain, the couch, and the marks of height. I took a deep breath and let everything go that I held dear. Closing the door carefully behind me, I listened to the lock click, and slipped the key under the door mat for the next family.

The flight hadn't been too bad. Of course, we'd gotten to the airport about two hours early because Amy had been panicked that if we hadn't gotten there early, the flight would have left without us. The only problem had been Emma, she'd gotten up to use the bathroom every ten minutes. I knew she was air sick, but this seemed a bit extreme.

When we'd gotten off the flight, I'd never seen a more wobbly Emma. Amy quickly steered us to the baggage claim, and as if by magic, our bags were the first one's out of the little flap. She steered us towards a little door.

It was black, and I could have sworn it hadn't been there a second ago. It had a faint glowing D on it. Amy pressed her hand to the D, and the door swung open, revealing a luscious green field, and at the top of the hill a beautiful courtyard with a massive Mansion like structure.

I stepped through the threshold, and the door swung shut, vanishing into thin air. Where the door had been, massive green fields now replaced it.

"Wow," was all I could manage to get out.

"Wow is right," Emma nodded her head, the sickly green shade finally leaving her face.

"Is it possible that it's gotten three times bigger?" Adrian giggled.

"The things you can do with a little bit of magic, and a lot of architectural redesign," Amy marveled, starting off to the top of the hill.

We followed suit, trudging up the massive hill, with each step it seemed to be further away.

At a certain point there seemed to be a speck of glowing orangey yellow flame, flickering at the top of the hill. Amy lit up.

"Dad!" she screamed, dropping her stuff, and dashing up the hill.

"Dad?" I frowned, walking a little bit faster. So, this would be the moment I met my father, who after all these years wasn't dead.

"Dad," Adrian grumbled, and if possible she seemed to be even slower, falling back behind Emma.

"Apollo," Emma grinned, walking faster.

At the top of the hill, I now could really see my father. He had a slight orangey glow surrounding him, a godly glow, if you will. He looked like he was in his early twenties, or mid-thirties, like a really handsome beachy college boy. He was really muscular and tan, I know understood where I got my tan from. And my hair, it was the same color as his. Sandy blonde, with lighter streaks of blonde running through, as if kissed by the sun. He grinned, and I thought my eyes would pop out of my sockets. That was about the brightest smile I'd ever seen.

He broke away from Amy, who'd been giving him a long hug.

"Ella," he whispered, his eyes flickered a softer blue color.

"Dad?" he opened his arms, and cautiously I stepped into them.

At first the hug was stiff, as if neither of us knew what we were doing. How could we? We hadn't seen each other since I'd been a baby. Something I'd be picking a fight with him about, after I got to know him better. Gradually, his hug got warmer, and more comfortable. I buried myself in his warm arms, and he smelled like the beach. Not in the way that Emma did, like the sea and the waves. But the fun of the beach. The ice cream, and the sun tan lotion, and something else I couldn't describe.

"You've grown up," he grinned, flashing me that blinding smile again.

"Yeah, you seem to have stayed the same…"

"Guilty! We gods don't change much. I've looked the same for the last two millenniums," he laughed.

He was kind of corny, but in a friendly way. Much more like a friend than a father. I stared at him, then at Amy. You'd never be able to tell they were family, except for the eyes. Not just the color, but the way expression flowed from them. The way that when they smiled, their eyes crinkled in the corners at the same places. I glanced behind me at Adrian. Her arms were crossed, and she had a scowl on her face.

Somehow, I could not imagine her being Apollo's daughter. Maybe it was the choppy, dyed red hair, or the fact that her face seemed to change slightly every time I looked at her, as if slowly, her beauty changed with your perception. But it was probably the fact that I refused to see her as my father's girl. It just didn't seem right.

"Hi, Dad," Adrian smiled, only the corners of her mouth slightly turning.

Apollo smiled, but it was a tight smile. And his teeth didn't flash. They'd dimmed.

"Adrian." He wouldn't say more than that.

"How have you been, girls?" his glance seemed to bounce between mine, Amy's, and even Emma's, but he wouldn't even look at his mistake.

"Good, good…" Emma said, glancing down at her shoes.

"Well," Apollo said, clearly reading the tension in the room, "I'm here to tell you that the location of the Temple has changed. You're not on Olympus anymore, you're on an island. You're way up in the Hills, the guys aren't too far away," he winked, sending Emma and Amy blushing furiously. "And lastly, the villagers are down by the beaches."

Amy smiled tightly, I could see the gears working in her brain.

"If you need transportation, the doors will appear like the one from the airport. But try not to use them too much, especially not to Olympus. Things are changing around here…"

Apollo's light flickered.

"Look away!" Amy hollered.

I turned my back on my father, and shut my eyes tight. There was an odd yellow light, shining, and then it was gone. He was gone.

"What was that about?" Emma asked, we all turned towards Amy.

"They still don't trust us. Phoebe… We're off Olympus, and this is our punishment."

"It can't be too bad," I offered.

"This is the worst disgrace of all," Amy replied, the bags she'd dropped to see our father, now shimmering in front of us. "I can hear them laughing."

Thunder rumbled above, and a single strike of lightning flashed down, zapping the Temple.


End file.
